The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
What's New?
Progress was made in the following subjects:
1. Brecht One-Name Studya. Brecht/Brett/Cornwell Family
b. Murder of George Brett 1951
c. Attempted Murder by George Brett 1926
d. Nellie Brett, George Brett's wife
e. Clara Mary Ann Brecht
f. Update of Parish Records
g. Search for John Christopher Brecht
2. 1939 Register of England & Wales
3. Gardiner/Hughes Family
4. Sinking of the SS Britannia - a Survivor's Account
1. Brecht One-Name Study
a. Brecht/Brett/Cornwell Family
The New Year got off to a brisk start with a cousin, from a branch of the Family Tree, making contact for the first time.
He was descended from the notorious George Henry Brett (born Brecht):
I was able to put him in touch with another cousin on the Cornwell side of his family. Wonderful!
b. Murder of George Brett 1951
I took the opportunity to re-Google George Brett, Gangster and found a further 4 1951 articles:
- an article from The Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 14 July 1951
- an article from The Truth Sunday 15 July 1951
- an article from The Canberra Times on Monday 16 July 1951
- an article from The Truth, on Sunday 9 December 1951.The articles have been collated in a page Murder of George Brett:
c. Attempted Murder by George Brett 1926
I also found two articles relating to an attempted murder by George Brett:
d. Nellie Brett, George Brett's wife
Another descendant of George Henry Brett (born Brecht) received a visit from the wife and daughter of another of our cousins in Australia, bringing some more information about the family.
It turns out that George married a Mary Ellen (Nellie) Casey in Australia:
Australia Marriage Index 1788-1950
Name: Mary Ellen Casey
Spouse Name: George Brett
Marriage Date: 10 May 1912
marriage Place: Queensland
Registration Place: Queensland
Registration Year: 1912
Nellie Brett appears to have been no shrinking violet and features in some further newspaper articles:
e. Clara Mary Ann Brecht
A correspondent gave me further information on Clara Mary Ann Brecht born Limehouse.
f. Update of Parish Records
Births & Baptisms 1813-1917
The list had been updated in Ancestry and a further 12 baptisms identified including my mother's (Doris Ivy Brecht)!
I duly updated my record of Parish Records:
g. Search for John Christopher Brecht
Godfrey & Susannah Pardom had 2 children. It appears that after the death of Godfrey Pardom, his widow Susannah married John Christopher Brecht.
Baptisms in the name of Brhgt
While I was online, I looked again at the baptism of Maria Brecht, daughter of John Christopher & Susannah Brecht, in 1796.
I turned on a page (electronically) and found an extraordinary entry:
St Nicholas, Cole Abbey, City of London
Hannah & Harriet Brecht (spelt Brhgt)
presumably twin sisters to Maria born 13.3.1796
born 25.11.1797 bp 17.12.1797
(parents Christopher & Susanna Brhgt)
Despite the new revelations I have yet to find out what happened to John Christopher Brecht (and Susannah and children) after the baptisms!
Search for John Christopher Brecht
2. 1939 Register of England & Wales
Brecht One-Name Study
Following the publication of the 1939 Register on Ancestry, I did a sweep of the Brecht/Brett family names and traced 34 people, but not all:
This is remarkable source with some new information (dates of birth) but an indication only of young people. Though all information on young people has been redacted (obliterated - with the message Officially Closed) because of the 100 year rule applied with Census returns, I have recorded 8 young people in this category.
3. Gardiner/Hughes Family
Joan Hughes, Woman Aviator
Caroline Gardiner's sister Matilda married Charles Collier, Ropemaker, Chris' great grandfather.
Caroline married John Hughes, who may be related to Joan Hughes, the Woman Aviator.
In April, the BBC broadcast a programme about the RAF Centenary, RAF100, in which Joan Hughes was mentioned by name:
Joan Hughes4. Sinking of the SS Britannia
Survivor's Account by Donald Brown RN
A correspondent, who contacted me in 2009, made contact again.
He had written up the background of his grandfather Donald Brown, who survived the sinking of the SS Britannia in 1941.
He also sent me a long and detailed account of the sinking by his grandfather.
I edited both documents and made them available in this website:
This is an extraordinary story and includes:
- Donald Brown taking part in the evacuation of troops from the Dunkirk beaches in 1940- surviving the sinking of two vessels
- picked up from the Britannia's lifeboat by the same ship that rescued my father
- not reaching a third naval vessel which was also sunk
- serving with Prince Philip
- being mentioned in dispatches in the Korean war
Colin Bower
11 June 2018
